Accessible, low-mercury, and nutritious fishes provide win-wins for conservation and public health

Heilpern S.A.; Flecker A.S.; López-Casas S.; McIntyre P.B.; Moya L.; Sethi S.; Fiorella K.J. · One Earth (2025) · DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2024.12.010

Resumen

Fisheries nourish billions globally, but overfishing and mercury contamination threaten aquatic biodiversity and public health. These benefits and risks of fish consumption are often siloed in consumer advisories, which tend to emphasize the risks of mercury exposure and could lead to adverse public health consequences in fisheries-dependent geographies where other nutritionally adequate foods are inaccessible. Here, we use nutrient and mercury content, price, and abundance information for 59 fishery species from the Amazon River and find that many nutrient-rich species also have low mercury content, are common, and have ecological traits conferring resilience to overexploitation. These species include many small and low-trophic-positioned species, including a diversity of characins that are common in markets across the region but not generally highly valued by consumers. Ultimately, considering these benefits and risks of fish consumption together offers promise for aligning biodiversity conservation goals within wild food systems.